When the opportunity to chase a unique whitetail comes along a hunter simply has to jump at the chance. In 2009 that exact opportunity came my way when a one-of-a-kind non-typical came into the picture.
This was a buck I knew all to well as I had seen him at various points during previous season. As this buck aged, his home range shrank making him a bit more predictable. He was using a small thicket about 10 acres in size as his main bedding area, which was located along a cornfield. I was capturing trail cam pics of this deer hitting a nearby scrape almost every night right at dark.I knew where he was bedding, but hunting from a stand was not an option, as the thicket was thick and any pressure getting into the bedding area or close by and he would be gone.
Since a typical setup wouldn’t work, I waited for the perfect wind, put on the cornstalk camo, and set up about 10 rows in along the edge of the thicket. This deer was very aggressive towards other bucks in the area and liked to show his dominance, so as the night progressed, I picked up the rattling antlers and made some noise. Within minutes, he was less than 8 yards from me on the edge of the field, and the rest is history.
When it comes to hunting mature whitetails, just remember, you don’t always have to be 20 feet up in a tree. Stand hunting can actually limit your chances at success, sometimes you have to make the most of what you got and go after them, not to mention the “WOW” factor you get from killing a mature deer face to face.
